An Unexpected Cross-Genre Series by KM Rockwood

Some books defy categorization, hardly fitting into any of the usually-recognized genres.

Some books tuck neatly into their niche, giving potential readers a satisfying heads-up on what to expect.

And some books leap around fearlessly, combining the aspects of more than one genre.

A friend introduced me to a stunning example of the latter. Her family frequently exchanges books as Christmas gifts, usually light reading to enjoy amid the chaos of the holidays. After she read it, she passed it on to me.

The book is Amish Vampires in Space.

It’s just what it sounds like, with elements of several genres.

Sincere, conscientious Amish characters, living their faith-based life in accordance with God’s will.

Changes to the sun that imperil life on earth, necessitating a chosen population to evacuate.

A commercial, deep-space cargo craft given unexpected orders to divert for a pickup.

A shipment that, unknown to the crew, harbors the undead. Vampires.

The entire story populated by well-developed, believable characters.

The concept for the book started as a joke. Jeff Gerke, founder of Marcher Lord Press

(now Enclave Publishing, which features Christian speculative fiction) came up with the title to poke gentle fun at the craze for Amish fiction.

Kerry Nietz, whose speculative novels had been published by Marcher Lord, took the title and ran with it.

The result is a very readable, well-developed, and fun novel.

He has since written two more in his series, Peril in Plain Space. They are Amish Zombies from Space and Amish Werewolves of Space.

If you’re looking for something a little different, they are well worth a try.